Incorporating safety systems into motor vehicles to help protect occupants during various types of collisions has traditionally been a priority for automobile manufacturers. Seatbelts, which keep occupants securely fastened to their seats, have been and continue to be one of the most prevalent safety devices used in the automotive industry.
In recent years, both the government and the automotive industry have realized the advantages that an inflatable occupant restraint system or airbag system can provide in addition to seatbelts. The traditional frontal airbag is disposed in the steering wheel or the instrument panel of the motor vehicle and acts to protect the head, chest, and pelvic area of a front occupant during a sudden deceleration caused, for example, by an accident. During such an event, however, the lower torso of the occupant may slide forward on the seat of the vehicle especially if a seatbelt is not worn by the occupant. This condition may increase the possibility of injury to the lower extremities, such as the knee and lower leg area, as well as the upper torso, of the occupant due to knee intrusion into the instrument panel. It is known to provide a restraint device, which is commonly referred to as a “knee blocker” or “knee bolster,” for limiting this type of movement.
In one knee bolster device described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,437 issued to Marriott, an interior vehicle outer panel is operatively coupled to an airbag that is inflatable by a gas source (e.g., gas inflator). During inflation of the airbag, the outer panel is directed towards the lower extremities of an occupant to aid in limiting lower torso translation forward along the vehicle seat. The knee bolster device may be formed, for example, by injection molding the outer panel. The airbag is then coupled to the outer panel during a secondary fastening and/or joining operation(s) by mechanical means. Unfortunately, such secondary fastening and/or joining operations, which can include, for example, additional parts, such as fasteners, brackets, and the like, as well as additional labor, robots, and/or fixtures for forming the device after injection molding or otherwise after forming the outer panel, are relatively expensive and can include significant investment and/or operating costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods for making inflatable interior vehicle panel devices for motor vehicles with improved manufacturing efficiencies and/or lower manufacturing costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present disclosure will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.